Draft day

Nonprofit administrators always seem to be a little jealous of Kevin Dwyer, CEO of Where is Care, a nonprofit that connects people with free and subsidized health services.

“They describe how amazing they think my board is,” Dwyer says. “I didn’t have a great response for them. I learned that [other organizations] really have a hard time getting people to step up.”

That got Dwyer thinking about ways he could connect other nonprofits in Dane County with enthusiastic, qualified people to serve on boards.

“I know there are a lot of nonprofits who have this need,” Dwyer says. “I also know, at least in my age group, a lot of people who feel unfulfilled in their work and really do crave an opportunity to make an impact. Most people don’t even know where to start.”

So Dwyer came up with the idea of connecting people who want to serve with groups that need them. The result, Nonprofit Draft Day, will be held at 9 a.m. on Jan. 20 at Edgewood College.

Anna Schryver, who is helping organize the event, says in Dane County alone, estimates for the number of nonprofits could be as high as 6,400. So if even just a quarter of those groups need one board member, there could be a demand for more than 1,000 people.

After sending out an email seeking interest, the response was overwhelming. “Right away, with just a simple email, people are stepping forward,” she says.

Forty nonprofits will be on hand to meet and compete for at least 70 “free agents” who are interested in serving. The event will start out with the free agents browsing information tables from each group. If they’re interested in serving, they can drop their card into that group’s box.

At 10:30, the nonprofits will take turns drafting interested parties in a closed meeting. During the same period, the free agents will participate in a question-and-answer session about serving on a board.

Free agents don’t have to sign up ahead of time if they’re interested in serving — they can just show up, network and see what happens.

Likewise, the nonprofits don’t have to draft a board member — they could just be looking for talent to help staff committees or work groups.

Enthusiasm has been so high, that some have suggested the draft be an annual event. But Dwyer says, “I just want to get through this one,” before making any commitments.

Allysa Kenney, executive director of DANEnet, a nonprofit that works to help other nonprofits with technology needs, says that the nonprofit world tends to be insular. Her organization has a nominations committee, so when it has an opening, spots tend to get filled by people members already know.

“There’s a culture of people who join boards in Madison,” she says. “You look in the same places again and again, but this is an opportunity to find someone different.”

Britney Sinclair has signed up as a free agent for the event. She’s long been involved with nonprofits — she works for Forward Community Investments — but would like to get involved with others, especially those that involve education, the black community or sustainability.

“The real important reason I want to get involved is I want to be able to speak on behalf of black women and mothers,” Sinclair says.

Schryver encourages anyone interested to come out to the event to network and perhaps toss their card into a group’s box. It may not lead to a board seat right away, but it’s a good way to get involved.

Schryver says there are misconceptions about what it takes to be on a board — such as you need to be wealthy. “If you ask any nonprofit what matters most, it’s going to be that you care about my cause.”